Another UCL society event caught in the midst of a protest

Another UCL society event caught in the midst of a protest

A UCL Diplomacy society visit to the Turkish embassy was cancelled as a result of a protest.

Diplomacy In Action’s planned meeting with the Deputy Ambassador of Turkey was called off last week due to a protest that had gathered outside the Turkish embassy. There was to be a short talk as well as a Q&A session with senior Turkish diplomats.

The society was disappointed that the event did not go on as planned. “[We are] sorry that the Embassy event was cancelled at the last minute”, said Joshua Lay Shi De, commitee member of Diplomacy in Action.

The protest appeared to be organised by a Kurdish group, with many protesters waving the flag of Kurdistan.

Kurdish protests in Turkey and around Europe have been prevalent for the past few decades.

Police were seen surrounding the protesters as well as guarding the doors to the embassy. “The protest…turned violent before the society arrived”, said Lay Shi De.

The embassy made the call not to host the event due to the protest, as it could potentially create weaknesses in security.

Diplomacy In Action is, however, hopeful that the event will still happen at some point. One of the organisers said that they “are now in contact with the embassy and look forward to having our event again in the near future”.